Homeowner Energy Freedom Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 4758. It is a bill that is going to sock it to the pocketbooks of our hardworking neighbors back home. Republicans appear to be doing everything they can to stick their heads in the sand when it comes to the affordability squeeze.

Higher costs, that is the last thing that our neighbors back home need right now. Yet, there is this relentless march by Republicans to bring bills to the floor that rip away savings from people who could really use it right now.

What does this bill do? It guts a very popular, commonsense initiative that hardworking Americans rely on. In 2022, Congress passed some rebates to help people afford home appliances through two home energy rebate initiatives that helped to lower their electric bills.

The first is the Home Efficiency Rebates Program, or HOMES. That is the rebate to households that conduct whole-house energy-saving retrofits. That means that our neighbors can increase insulation in their homes or improve their HVAC systems.

The second is the Home Electrification and Appliances Rebate Program, or HEAR. That provides rebates to upgrade electric panels, conduct weatherization, or purchase an appliance like an electric water heater or air-conditioner, because oftentimes we know that people need a little bit of help with that upfront cost. If they can get a little help to afford an upgraded appliance, that is going to save them money in the long run.

Mr. Speaker, it is just a real head-scratcher as to why Republicans are bringing this bill in the midst of an affordability crisis, but I think if you listened to the State of the Union Address last night, that is a little bit illuminating because the President said that everything is great in America. He solved it. There is no affordability squeeze. Look, our economy is roaring. Everybody is doing great.

That is not what I hear from my neighbors back home in Florida. Everything costs more. In fact, 80 million Americans are struggling to pay their utility bills.

Electric rates across the country are up by 13 percent on average and are higher in a lot of places. Then, these illegal, arbitrary tariffs have added to this affordability squeeze. Many analyses have it that the average household is paying $1,700 more per year because of the Trump tariffs, and Republicans in Congress have been supportive the entire way along.

Even after the United States Supreme Court ruled last week that the tariffs--these high import taxes, the highest in 100 years on households, making their groceries, their appliances, and everything else cost more--are illegal and that the President doesn't have the authority to do that, the President doubles down and says that he does.

In fact, the President is going to inflict more pain, and Republicans last night in this Chamber cheered--cheered--more taxes on hardworking Americans.

This relates directly to the bill that we are debating today because we are talking about affordable appliances. Do you know what tariffs have done to the cost of appliances? Tariffs have driven a steady rise in appliance pricing, hitting American consumers with higher costs for essentials like refrigerators, washers, dryers, and dishwashers.

Since most appliances rely on imported steel, aluminum, and foreign- made components, such as motors and control boards, tariffs on both finished goods and parts have pushed up production and import costs. Retailers and manufacturers are working on very slim margins. They have passed along all of these increases directly to shoppers, leading to some of the fastest price jumps in years.

Now that the President thumbs his nose at what the Supreme Court has told him and is now inflicting new pain and new taxes on Americans, new tariffs, that is going to keep the prices of appliances elevated at a time when people are really under the gun and feeling the squeeze. They are going to make it harder to replace or upgrade big-ticket items.

The result is the persistent squeeze on American budgets with no meaningful relief in sight. People will tell you this. They will say that they might have listened to that speech last night, but they are out of touch. Everything is not all well.

The affordability crisis is not solved, and now Republicans bring a bill to the floor that makes it harder and makes everything more expensive for people back home.

Mr. Speaker, 54 States and territories are already getting these rebate initiatives out, getting the money into the pockets of consumers. Governors and State energy offices have dedicated their own funding and staff time, and they are working with the Department of Energy. This is something that Americans of all political stripes will support, and they need it.

Texas received $689 million to help Texans afford new appliances and weatherize their homes. Ohio received $249 million. Republicans are going to rip that away. Kentucky received $134 million.

In Georgia and North Carolina, where rebates are already in place, participating families are saving over $1,000 a year. That doesn't make up for the tariffs, the pain inflicted and the higher costs that people are paying, but it will sure help. Every dollar will help working families right now.

In Florida, I know my neighbors are very eager to take advantage of the $346 million in cost savings that will come under these initiatives. We received it just last week.

Mr. Speaker, do you know why it is particularly important to parts of the country that have experienced disasters and hurricanes? I will tell you a story. I was meeting with a small business owner and homeowners last week who are still recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

One of my neighbors, Rebecca, is a retiree on a fixed income and living in a 960-square-foot home in St. Petersburg. When Hurricane Helene hit, she lost her car, her furniture, her washer and dryer, and her air-conditioner. What happened in the subsequent months? Electric bills went up, up, up. Last year, she paid $170 in May, $258 in June, and $314 in July. As people try to rebuild, they could really use these rebates as they are replacing their appliances.

Why do Republicans want to make life so much harder and more expensive? I guess it is because they believed what the President said last night, that everything is great, everything is fine, nothing to see here.

Mr. Speaker, that is out of touch. It is really out of touch.

For all of these reasons, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to the committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill.

My amendment would require the Secretary of Energy to certify that implementation of this act would not increase costs for homeowners and renters.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, our neighbors are suffering an affordability crisis. They want policymakers in Washington, D.C., to help solve problems and bring down the cost of living.

Every time the President and congressional Republicans deny that this is happening and say that everything is great and everything is well, they are doing a real disservice to hardworking American families.

Tariffs, higher electric bills, the cost of housing, and the cost of groceries, you can't turn a blind eye to it, and you shouldn't. What you should do is adopt my motion to recommit and defeat this bill. Vote ``no.'' Our neighbors deserve better.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source